#also let me point out the dot in my notes app lmao

[patolemus]

In this new part of the series call ‘i took a calculated risk but man am I bad at math’ — aka writing five stages of grief — I’ve scraped the very first scene of the first chapter for the fourth time. I think I finally wrote one I’m happy with tho so kudos to me? Also I dreamt of this really weird thing the other day and I don’t remember it well but I know it had dragons and someone had a dagger at some point so I don’t know if my hotd obsession is becoming a bit too much or if my subconscious is trying to tell me something

Anyways here are the notes app crumbs for the day

It took me a hot minute to remember what I was talking about for that last one, I legit stared at it for a while trying to remember what the fuck I was thinking of last night, but i figured it out eventually

[neurotypical-sonic]

(Hello, sorry if this sounds weird/rude, idk how to phrase this sentences tbh)

I really want to start writing fanfics, but I keep repeating the same word 3 times in the sentence and I don’t know how to phrase it in any other way to get around it, or making the sentence sound weird, and I keep having to relying on Google to type or using my iPhone mic speaker (it sometimes doesn’t work 50% of the time)in the search engine and type “spell [insert word here]” to recognise the words or know what it means, idk if some of that is because of autism or not.

Do you use any software application/apps to help with writing,

Also side note: when I’m trying to text to somebody on discord, I keep thinking the text I’m typing sounds rude, but I’m not trying to make it sound rude??, and then I just feel really high anxiety about it, is that normal???

Sorry for the long gibberish text lmao

Hi! This isn't rude or weird at all, don't worry! I also get really anxious sending asks or asking for advice, you're good.

I'm not the best person to ask, since I'm still very new to writing and I'm still figuring it out myself, but I'll try my best! Putting it under a readmore because it got long

I personally don't use any apps to help with writing. Google docs has some built in features, like autocorrect or suggestions about word choice/placement or grammar, but that's about it. I've heard Grammarly is good?

For spelling:

If autocorrect isn't working I simplify the word then look up synonyms for it. For example, if I'm struggling to spell "delighted, then I'll simplify that word to "happy", and then google "happy synonyms", and keep looking up and searching words until I get to it.

This is also very good if you're struggling to think of a word you need, or if you don't understand what a word means. Adding "synonym" to your search works wonders, for me at least.

Another option is beta readers! They read through your work and can help with things like spelling and grammar, etc. I get my sibling or mum to read through my shit all the time, and I'll go to friends for advice as well.

For actually writing:

I know exactly what you mean with the getting stuck on a sentence or word and not being able to get around it. I had been wanting to get back into writing for around a year and this always stopped me and made me give up, it's only recently, the past couple of months, that I've started to actually commit to writing and get around it. I still get caught up in it!!

A couple of things help me! The main one is sometimes you have to let yourself write Badly. I have multiple docs of when I first started to write again, and it's all bad, but making myself write it, without expecting to publish it, helped me figure out what works best for me. And more importantly, it helps you get back into the actual habit of writing, and gives you something you can go back and work on. It sucks, and it's hard, but sometimes you just got to write the world's worst sentence.

If that's not working, just bail. In all of my wips, I have half completed sentences where I was really struggling and couldn't get around it, so I just stopped and worked on something else, something easier, and then when I think I can try again, I come back to it.

Breaking to down into really simple sentences also helps, to have a foundation you can build on. Most of my fics start out like "Sonic and Tails have a talk about why Tails is upset. Tails is not making eye contact and is looking at the ground. He says that he didn't like it when Sonic ate his mints without asking. Sonic apologizes and says that he didn't know they were Tails' mints." Even dot points would work. Just the bare basics, and then now that I know what exactly is going to happen, I can go back and start actually Writing it.

One thing that helped me actually figure out how to write was reading other people's works, and noting what I really liked about their writing. What pacing choices, word choices, how they use actions and dialogue etc etc. Even doing things like "hmm I would've used a different word there or swapped the order of those actions" can help you figure out how you want to write.

I hope this helps? I'm not sure how much sense it makes sorry akgfdkjh

[ohhcnnas]

( benedetta gargari, female ) did you hear how HANNA RILEY is applying to columbia university as an ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES major ?! the 23 year old is living in the EAST CAMPUS. i heard that they got in because they are + BRAVE and + INDEPENDENT, but honestly i think SHE can be -RIGID and - SHORT TEMPERED. they’re a real STICK IN THE MUD. oh well, only time will tell if the SENIOR will make it til the end.  

about the mun !!

hi hello its sam again ! i also play lukas but i felt like bringing my fave lesbian to the table bc i havent played her in fuckin ages and i miss her

about hanna !!

full name: hanna kate riley

nickname(s): han ?? idk hanna is technically already a nickname lmao

age: twenty three

gender: cis female

pronouns: she/her

hometown: north lake, wisconsin

date of birth: may 2nd

occupation: student ( ecology and environmental sciences, senior ), retail assistant at a reclaimed vintage store

relationship status: single but maybe dating some npc that doesnt go to columbia im still deciding lol

drink / smoke / drugs: rarely / no / no

faceclaim: benedetta gargari

positive traits: dedicated, brave, quick witted, protective, independent, organised

negative traits: stubborn, isolated, self doubting, lonely, short tempered, rigid, blunt

if he was in a hogwarts house: gryffindor

now some more dot points that are just me talking about hanna !!

growing up in small town wisconsin hanna didn’t ever really plan on going to a college like columbia. 

number one she doubted her own ability to get into an ivy league university, despite being heavily involved in extra curricular programs and having very good grades she never thought it was going to be enough to earn her a place in such a prestigious institution

number two she kind of always thought she’d stay closer to home, maybe the university of wisconsin or something in chicago. she’s incredibly close with her family, having grown up with most of her extended family living in her hometown or at least quite close to her hometown 

but all the same she applied, her driving motivation being columbia’s brilliant environmental science research programs. she’d been an avid environmentalist since she was a tween. a vegetarian since she was eleven, a vegan since she was fourteen, and even trying her best to live as waste free as possible from time to time ( senior year she’s not very focused on it because it takes a lot of time that she doesn’t have between study and work but she still tries a lil )

she’s a very old soul, heavily influenced by the fact that she grew up living with her grandparents. she loves reading, is always carrying a book in her bag if not several. she dresses pretty modestly but thats a comfort thing more than like a wanting to be modest thing lmao. big introvert but not shy, she will absolutely tell you to go fuck yourself if you’re annoying her even slightly

as you might have already put together she’s very passionate. being a gay environmentalist teenager in small town wisconsin she’s always felt the need to label herself and make sure she’s very strong in her opinions so no one questions her identity or tells her that its a phase and it will pass. she’s calmed down like, a little bit as she’s gotten older but she’s still very passionate about who she is and making sure people know what the fuck she’s about

she’s currently president of the lgbt club at columbia, vice president of feminist thought, a member of the outdoor orienteering club, and ex member of the student council. she “quit”/”was asked to leave” after getting into a v heated argument about something or other lmao

finally: she is a very nice and caring person. she likes to joke around, and really isn’t that tightly wound you just have to get past the hard shell asshole exterior and then she’ll be the gay mom of ur dreams

i just said finally but i want to include her aesthetic from the app bc it really just summarised her very well: recycled denim, thrifted sweaters, homemade rally signs, second hand books, x files on repeat, doc martens, liking plants more than people, carrying her bike upstairs so it doesn't get stolen, patches sown onto bags and jackets, pride pins, headphones in podcasts on, colour coded notes and a meticulously organised day planner, putting way too much soy milk in tea, looking forward to farmers markets

wanted connections babey !!

so with lukas i had a literal week to come up with some specific ones, i did not do that here so mainly will be looking at brainstorming but here’s some starting points

old roommates: maybe they got along, maybe they didn’t. hanna is a very neat person but she also needs everyone else to be neat as well, would definitely lose her shit about people leaving leftovers in the fridge until they stunk 

club members: this one is much more vague bc it’ll depend on what clubs, what their connection is to the club, give me some people that were on student council with her lmao

sorry i hit u with my bike but what the hell were u doing in the bike lane: it’d be funny give it to me pls 

live a little: someone that’s trying to break her out of her shell, it’s senior year and she’s probably only ever gone to a handful of parties, she hasn’t done a lot of stuff simply because she always felt she didn’t need to, but now she’s worried she’s missed out on some valuable college experience

cryptozoology enthusiasts: hanna loves weird stuff, she doesn’t really believe in everything but she thinks its fun to talk about cryptids like they could be real. her uncle goes to a mothman festival every year and brings her back a t shirt so she has an extensive collection now. she loves a good ghost adventures and roast zak bagans session. bonus points if this connection also includes a plan to go to vegas just to go to zak bagan’s haunted museum

hanna has probably pissed off a lot of people, feel free to hate her: thats it thats the connection ( im kidding pls lets plot it out and come up with something funny )

ben wyatt voice its about the found family:  found family pls like dont have to be gays but bonus points if they are but either way hanna is the mom thats just the facts

literally anything lets mcfreakin lose it

[rivkahstudies]

requested by @niviasthoughts - thank you for approaching me!! I hope this post can help!

The IB Program is hectic enough without having to worry about where your stuff is, when you need it, and how you’re doing. Keeping track of things is pretty much essential for success, because once you get behind it’s difficult to catch up.

I graduated in 2018 with an IB score of 37 out of 45. I started the two years organized and ended even more organized than I thought possible. It’s definitely a program that tests your limits and forces you to surpass or reinvent them.

This is gonna be a pretty long post, so I'm going to put it under the cut.

part one: starting out

It's important that, before you follow through with any of the systems I suggest/inventing your own, you check that your teacher doesn't already have a system set up. In my experience, my teachers' systems have never worked as well as ones that I have determined for myself, because they haven't spent ages and ages developing it just for MY benefit like I have. However, just as life often does to us, you may not have a choice.

Some teachers (and in my experience, the ones I like the least) have a system that they don't just suggest but enforce, and will often take off points in grades such as notebook checks if you don't use their suggested materials/system. There's no way around this, so make absolutely sure you can use your own system on a class-by-class basis to ensure you're getting the best grade you can. Those points add up.

part two: materials

You do not need anything fancy or expensive. All of my stationery is pretty affordable and there are only a couple products I use that I saved for/splurged on. You. do. not. need. fancy. stationery. to. succeed. or! be! a! real! studyblr! say it with me y'all.

I'm not even going to bother to list specific brands because it'll just discourage you from others. I'm going to be as vague as possible. For a reason. Decide for yourself what you like best.

rivkah's very basic IB shopping list

black/blue pens

(trust me, you'll need multiple. I went through a whole pack of 12 THE FIRST SEMESTER of my senior year because I was writing so much.)

a binder and loose leaf paper OR notebook, one for each class

this is entirely up to your personal preference. I prefer to have loose leaf paper because I can rearrange things as I wish (I'm so indecisive and often reorganize). I typically choose 1 inch binders and 4-8 tab dividers. It really depends on the class how I organize these dividers, but they're usually something like classwork/homework/projects/tests/etc.

a colored set of some kind of writing implement

markers, pens, highlighters, it REALLY DOESN'T MATTER as long as you have AT LEAST five colors. I prefer 7-10, because annotating history/english documents requires that you look for a lot of different things. pick whatever works best for you and figure out what your color systems are. it's best to have multiple, especially cross-subject, because your needs may differ depending on the document.

a pencil pouch/supplies organizer

again, whatever fits your preference. I like backpacks with pockets that have little built-in organizers or a pencil pouch that, likewise, has different compartments. I'm one of those people where I like to know EXACTLY where my materials are. I don't like wasting time rifling through a general pouch. if that doesn't bother you, go ahead and get one!

post-it notes

these are so versatile. annotations, reminders, misc notes, anything. I always have multiple colors and sizes on me because I use post-it notes for almost everything, including writing down ideas and reminding myself of deadlines.

planner/bullet journal

digital or paper, doesn't matter. but YOU NEED TO WRITE THINGS DOWN IN IB. don't rely on your memory, because it'll start failing you as soon as you get stressed and busy. also don't worry about spending too much money. I like my bullet journal because if I feel artsy, I can be. If I'm in a hurry, I can keep it minimal. plus I never need to worry about not having enough space to plan. whatever you pick, if it works, stick to it. don't try to have 5 planners because I guarantee you'll just confuse yourself.

misc materials like scissors, glue, white-out, tape, etc

I like to have these on hand just because you never know when you or someone else might need them.

part three: how to integrate these materials/systems

general tips

if something can be done in less than 15 minutes, do it as soon as you can--whether it's at lunch, in extra time at the end of class, or when you first get home.

if it's a large project/assignment, get something down the first day it's assigned. write up a schedule to work on it, or an outline/draft skeleton, or do a little research into what you'd be interested in covering if it's open-ended. something, anything. at the very least, if you don't make progress, it'll cement the assignment in your mind and you won't forget at easily.

do not leave readings to the last minute. they often seem small in comparison to presentations or essays, but they're important.

whenever possible, try to link projects or topics back to your interests. it makes things like the IAs or EE so much easier to write... because the only thing worse than having to write 2000 or 4000 words is having to write 2000 or 4000 words on a topic that puts you to sleep.

utilize your connections with your teachers. in most cases, they want to help and see you succeed. if you have any teachers you're close with, confide in them.

at the very least, if you can't be friendly with them, communicate with them. and suck up a little. because if you're in their good graces, they'll be more understanding when you have your 9th consecutive breakdown or run out of time and can't hand something in. And if they know you're having problems (mentally, socially, in your family, whatever) they can extend their hand to help more. even if it's just one or two teachers, it makes a difference.

set reminders in your phone/calendar for the end of the school day if you have to take a textbook home and you keep it in a locker (hopefully you do, it's bad for your back. IB is bad for your back lmao.) it'll save your life when you start on your way home, exhausted, not remembering. funny how stress makes you totally memory-less.

is a desktop and phone app that has saved my life on numerous occasions. it's more suited for college, but it's really nice because you can track your PROGRESS on assignments, not just on whether you've completed them or not.

obvious, but get sleep and eat good foods. it'll improve your concentration and memory.

it's really tempting when you walk into your room to just dump your stuff somewhere, maybe in a pile. try to make a bin/tray/spot that is specifically for "stuff to be done/sorted/taken care of" and then take care of it nightly.

I know it's often tempting to relax until dinner (at least, if you're like me) and then do your homework after dinner, but please. start your homework as soon as possible once you're home, or before then if you can. you don't have to study every second, but I know I got really tired of seeing 2:30 AM blinking back at me every night.

set your own deadlines and, for the love of all, hold yourself accountable for them.

schedule in at least a half-hour of you time, hopefully in the middle of your homework. you'll forget to have it otherwise and you'll be a zombie. I've been there.

English

stay ahead on readings. see above. if possible/time allowing, read/skim the first time and THEN go back to annotate once you understand what you're looking at. when you notice things the first time, you can start connecting the dots the second.

always know where your books are. have a specific place in your backpack/locker/desk/room. nothing's worse than losing a book you're halfway through and have a paper due.

keep detailed notes for your EA/IOP/IOC. my teacher made us do this thing called "grids" which dissected key symbols/motifs/themes to DEATH, and it was hell, but it helped a lot.

History

again, detailed notes. include not just what happened but why? what were the causes, the events, the effects, and the historical interpretations? this is a fancy little buzz word for "quotes others have on the subject." if you throw even one of these into each of your final papers during senior exams, it boosts your score. my history of the americas teacher never let us forget it. and boy, did I have it in my head by May 2018.

you don't *need* a book for your IA or History EE, but let me tell you, it's hard as hell to get a good score without one. get that deep, deep knowledge bb.

keep things in whatever order works best for you. for my purposes, I always did it chronologically, because I didn't want to jump around too much in an essay. but there's other ways to structure an essay and you need to find what your strong points are.

Spanish/French/etc language

I personally took Spanish. Got a 7 in it, too, so I know how to organize best for this class.

It's INCREDIBLY important that you stay organized in this class, particularly with vocabulary. It's up to you how you want to study and structure your notebook, but leave ample room to write words over and over and over.

You will most likely (assuming your teacher is doing their job) have readings. Devise your own color system, but I typically had three colors for Spanish readings: 1) words I don't know (and later define), 2) vocabulary we learned in class/need to memorize, if applicable, and 3) words I know/need more practice with. You can add/subtract depending on your strength and weakness in the language.

Math

The only class I kept a notebook for, not a binder.

You won't pass just by studying rules. You need to be able to apply them, too, so please keep a section of your notebook/binder for practicing problems. As many as it takes/you have time for.

Keep. All. Your. Tests. I do this for all my classes, but it is VITAL for Math that you're aware of your weaknesses. When it comes down to it, you need to study what you DON'T know, not what you know.

Science

I took Biology. My brother is currently taking Physics.

There will be math in both, just much more in Physics. Follow the rules above for Math when applicable.

Biology was so difficult for me that I rewrote my notes three times. First for studying for the upcoming test, then for the Year 1 "final" my teacher gave, then again for the IB Exams. It's incredibly time-consuming, and might not work for you like it did me. Whatever you do, organize your notes in a way that let you understand difficult concepts in a step-by-step order. IB Bio and Physics are super step-by-step and if you go out of order, you lose points.

Art

I took art, not psychology, so I'm sorry I can't help for psych. But I was basically on my own for art because my teacher was not up-to-date NOR ORGANIZED AT ALL. I had to do all the research myself for the rules before I could even start my work. And I had to do it all senior year, because she wouldn't let me start as a junior.

honestly, I could write a whole separate post just on this subject.

make sure your stuff is neat and in black pen. especially for your process portfolio, that's the only way they'll grade it. I did my Comparative Study on the computer.

TOK Presentation/TOK Essay/IAs/EE

I didn't mention this in the material list, but I was so paranoid about losing materials necessary for my History IA and EE that I literally had 2 folders, one for each of them, JUST devoted to all of the papers that were thrown at me for them.

I was instructed to keep one for my EA by my English teacher, AND I had another kept my grids (used to study for the EA) in a separate folder too.

This is completely optional, but I found it really helpful in making sure I knew where I was with all of my assignments. You could easily substitute all these folders for an accordian binder, it whatever works best for you.

Okay, I've covered all of the subjects I took and major assignments, as well as the general organizational tips. There's still so much more, but this is the bulk of what I did and what I remember. If any of you want to see anything on one of these subjects specifically, please reach out to me! And as always: IB is scary and confusing, as well as incredibly fast-paced, but it isn't impossible and you're not alone. My messages and inbox are always open if you need anything.